Turkish Delight

Ingredients for liquid base:
[ ] 1¼ cups water
[ ] ½ cup Appletiser (or ¼ cup Appletiser mixed with ¼ cup Grapetiser for a red version), left open overnight until flat
[ ] ½ cup honey
[ ] 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
[ ] 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
[ ] ⅛ teaspoon salt
[ ] 2 teaspoons agar agar powder

Ingredients for starch slurry:
[ ] ½ cup tapioca starch
[ ] ¼ cup arrowroot powder
[ ] ½ cup cold water

Ingredients for coating:
[ ] ¼ cup arrowroot powder
[ ] ¼ cup tapioca starch

Method:
[ ] Combine the arrowroot powder and tapioca starch for the coating mixture and lightly dust a small lined container with some of the mixture, reserving the remaining coating for the next day
[ ] Pour the Grapetiser and/or Appletiser into a small saucepan and simmer gently over the lowest heat for 8 minutes until slightly reduced and more concentrated, then remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly
[ ] Add the water, honey, agar agar powder and salt to the reduced liquid, Place over medium heat and whisk continuously until the agar agar has completely dissolved and the mixture begins to boil
[ ] In a separate bowl, whisk together the tapioca starch, arrowroot powder and cold water until completely smooth and free of lumps
[ ] Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and slowly pour the slurry into the saucepan while whisking continuously to prevent lumps from forming
[ ] Cook while stirring continuously to prevent sticking (If using the Grapetiser mix, cook for 5 to 10 minutes. If using Appletiser, cook for 5 minutes, as the natural pectin causes the mixture to thicken more quickly)
[ ] The mixture should become very thick, glossy and slightly translucent, resembling a soft gel-like confectionery mixture and pull away from the sides of the pan
[ ] Remove from the heat and quickly stir in the vanilla extract and lemon juice
[ ] Immediately pour the mixture into the prepared container
[ ] Allow to cool at room temperature for 1 hour and then refrigerate for 4 hours
[ ] Generously dust the top with some of the reserved coating mixture. Using a very sharp knife lightly coated in starch, cut into cubes, Toss the cubes gently in the remaining coating mixture until evenly covered on all sides. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator

Note: Use canned Grapetiser or Appletiser, as the plastic bottles contain preservatives.